Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano Photo by Edward Pentin, National Catholic RegisterCardinal Burke speaking at the Rome Life Forum in Rome, May 2018.
Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship offers Mass at London's 'Sacra Liturgia' conference on July 6, 2016. Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. / FlickrPope Francis meets with Fr. Antonio Spadaro, SJ.
Cardinal Sergio Obeso Rivera NotimexScreen capture of Drudge Report this past Good Friday for most of the day. Drudge is one of the most read sites on the Internet. Drudge Report

December 27, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Below is a list of the 10 most viewed Catholic stories published by LifeSite over the past year. Thank you for supporting our pro-life, pro-family mission. We look forward to continuing the fight for the Church and our cherished faith in 2019.

Archbishop Vigano’s shocking testimony this year made him a target for not just liberal clergy but for Pope Francis himself. Francis’s constant references to “the Great Accuser” suggests he views Vigano as a sort of devil-figure, exposing things that should otherwise be kept quiet. In a follow-up statement released in September, Archbishop Vigano put forth the reasons why he went public with his initial allegations. He also reiterated his claim that the Pope knew how perverse Theodore McCarrick was and that the Pope played a role in covering up for or blocking investigations into other priests and prelates.

Dubia-author Cardinal Raymond Burke strongly supported Archbishop Vigano and his explosive 11-page testimony. In a statement to LifeSiteNews in August, Burke said, “The corruption and filth which have entered into the life of the Church must be purified at their roots.” Burke also said, “The declarations made by a prelate of the authority of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò must be totally taken to heart by those responsible in the Church…each declaration must be subject to investigation, according to the Church’s time-tried procedural law.”

A never before released prediction made by John Paul II was revealed by one of his close friends this past autumn. Speaking in October, Monsignor Mauro Longhi of the Opus Dei prelature said that during a conversation he had with John Paul in March of 1993, the late pontiff believed the “deadly scourge” of “Islamism” would invade Europe, and that it would be more “painful and more deadly” than Communism. Catholics would need to contain the invasion “with their family” and by living out their faith integrally, the pope allegedly said.

Cardinal Robert Sarah has defended the need for reverent liturgy ever since being named Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship by Pope Francis in 2014. While some clergy have resisted his efforts, Sarah is unwilling to ignore liturgical abuse. In the preface to a book on Holy Communion released this year, Sarah wrote, “The most insidious diabolical attack consists in trying to extinguish faith in the Eucharist, by sowing errors and fostering an unsuitable way of receiving it.” He also called on Catholics to “come as children” to the Eucharist and to "receive the Body of Christ on our knees and on our tongue.”

EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo has courageously put his career on the line by reporting the truth about Pope Francis and the crisis in the Church. In February, papal confidante Father Antonio Spadaro, editor-in-chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, retweeted a call for EWTN to be censured “until they get rid of” Arroyo. The original tweet, which called for an “interdict” to be leveled on the news network, was sent out by Anthony Annett, Assistant to the Director at the International Monetary Fund’s Communications Department. Annett claimed Arroyo and EWTN were launching a “war” on the papacy.

Soon after Pope Benedict resigned in 2013, lightning struck the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. Another strange event occurred on New Year’s Eve 2017 when Pope Francis was touring the nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square. A squabble of about 500 seagulls suddenly flew up from behind the basilica and swarmed above the scene, squawking and squealing for about the exact time it took for the Pope to walk from the basilica to the display. They then disappeared into the night sky, which was lit up by an almost full moon.

Cardinal Willem Eijk, the Archbishop of Utrecht in the Netherlands, published an article in May noting that when it comes to inter-communion at Catholic masses, Pope Francis has failed to “maintain and transmit faithfully” the “deposit of faith contained in Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture.” The issue has been intensely debated this past year, with many liberal German bishops in favor of Protestants receiving Communion. In his article, Eijk also said the pope’s behavior reminds him of Article 675 of the Church’s Catechism, which speaks of a trial that will “shake the faith of many believers.”

Mexican Cardinal Sergio Obeso Rivera shockingly attacked victims of clerical sexual abuse this year when he told journalists that those who accuse priests of abuse should be “ashamed” because they too have skeletons in their own closets. “I’m here happy to talk about nice things, not about problematic things,” said the tone-deaf, Francis-appointed Cardinal. His Eminence’s remarks were made shortly after the bombshell Pennsylvania Grand Jury report revealed more than 300 priests sexually abused more than 1,000 mostly teenage boys.

Pope Francis continued his practice of making remarks completely out of line with established Church teaching when he sat down with Italian journalist Eugenio Scalfari just days before Holy Thursday 2018. Scalfari is a 93-year-old atheist and founder of the left-wing newspaper La Repubblica. Scalfari claimed on March 28 that Pope Francis told him “souls are not punished” and that “those who do not repent and cannot be forgiven disappear. There is no hell — there is the disappearance of sinful souls.” The remarks were never corrected by the Holy See Press Office.

LifeSite was one of the very few media outlets in the English-speaking world to break news of the landmark 11-page testimony of Archbishop Carlo Vigano. Vigano went public this year with allegations that there is massive sex abuse and homosexuality in the Catholic Church, and that, in particular, Pope Francis knew about now-ex Cardinal McCarrick's abusive past but covered it up and rehabilitated him. Archbishop Vigano’s bombshell testimony has sent shockwaves throughout the Church, and LifeSite has been the premier news outlet in North America for the latest updates of his situation and the effect he has had.

Note: Follow LifeSite's new Catholic twitter account to stay up to date on all Church-related news. Click here: @LSNCatholic

Cardinal Sergio Obeso Rivera NotimexAbortionist Leah Torres TwitterScreen capture of Drudge Report this past Good Friday for most of the day. Drudge is one of the most read sites on the Internet. Drudge Report'Karen' White confessed to two counts of sexual touching during his time in a female jail. FacebookAlfie Evans more than 48 hours after he was removed from his ventilator on April 23, 2018. Kate James / Facebook

December 27, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Below is a list of the 10 most viewed stories published by LifeSite over the past year. Thank you for supporting our pro-life, pro-family mission. We look forward to continuing the fight for life, family, and culture in 2019.

Cardinal Willem Eijk, the Archbishop of Utrecht in the Netherlands, published an article in May noting that when it comes to inter-communion at Catholic masses, Pope Francis has failed to “maintain and transmit faithfully” the “deposit of faith contained in Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture.” The issue has been intensely debated this past year, with many liberal German bishops in favor of Protestants receiving Communion. In his article, Eijk also said the pope’s behavior reminds him of Article 675 of the Church’s Catechism, which speaks of a trial that will “shake the faith of many believers.”

LifeSite reporter Doug Mainwaring excoriated the mainstream media’s pro-gay narrative of the 2018 Winter Olympics when, in a persuasively written op-ed, he pointed out the three openly gay male figure skaters at the Olympics are partnered with women, not men. Mainwaring said this is because “their sport is wholly reliant on complementarity” and “without the complementarity of the male and female skaters, the event ceases to exist. Yet much of the world has been blinded to the fact that this very natural truth applies even more to marriage than it does to skating.”

Mexican Cardinal Sergio Obeso Rivera attacked victims of clerical sexual abuse this year when he told journalists that those who accuse priests of abuse should be “ashamed” because they too have skeletons in their own closets. “I’m here happy to talk about nice things, not about problematic things,” said the tone-deaf, Francis-appointed Cardinal. His Eminence’s remarks were made shortly after the bombshell Pennsylvania Grand Jury report revealed more than 300 priests sexually abused more than 1,000 mostly teenage boys.

Leah Torres, an abortionist with more than 17,000 followers on Twitter, showed just how evil the pro-abortion movement really is with a tweet that read, “You know fetuses can’t scream, right? I transect the cord 1st so there’s really no opportunity.” Torres also tweeted, “I won’t apologize for performing medicine.” The shockingly candid admission laid bare for all to see the truly diabolical way many abortionists view their so-called profession. Eventually, Torres deleted the tweet because she said her friend asked her to. She said, however, that she was “not sorry” for her original comment.

Pope Francis created controversy when he sat down with Italian journalist Eugenio Scalfari just days before Holy Thursday. Scalfari is a 93-year-old atheist and founder of the left-wing newspaper La Repubblica. Scalfari claimed on March 28 that Pope Francis told him “souls are not punished” and that “those who do not repent and cannot be forgiven disappear. There is no hell — there is the disappearance of sinful souls.” The remarks were never corrected by the Holy See Press Office.

Liberal fascists at the Orange County Board of Education astonishingly claimed that the 2015 California Healthy Youth Act does not give parents the option of taking their children out of state-enforced pro-LGBT initiatives. In a memo dated March 29, a lawyer from Orange County’s Department of Education said parents who disagree with the LGBT curriculum “may not excuse their children from this instruction.” He then had the gall to say parents still have the right to “advise their children that they disagree with” such lessons.

LifeSite was one of the very few media outlets in the English-speaking world to break news of the landmark 11-page testimony of Archbishop Carlo Vigano. Vigano went public this year with allegations that there is massive sex abuse and homosexuality in the Catholic Church, and that, in particular, Pope Francis knew about now-ex Cardinal McCarrick's abusive past but covered it up and rehabilitated him. Archbishop Vigano’s bombshell testimony has sent shockwaves throughout the Church, and LifeSite has been the premier news outlet in North America for the latest updates of his situation and the effect he has had.

The incoherence of gender ideology has resulted in downright bizarre public policies. In England, a 52-year-old convicted sex offender and pedophile was sent to an all-female jail because he “identifies” as a woman. While incarcerated, the man sexually assaulted four female inmates. Following the incidents, he was transferred to a male facility. A spokesperson apologized for “the mistakes which were made in this case,” adding that “while we work to manage all prisoners, including those who are transgender, sensitively and in line with the law, we are clear that the safety of all prisoners must be our absolute priority.”

27-year-old Marie-Claire Bissonnette, youth coordinator with Campaign Life Coalition, became the unwitting face of the pro-life movement this year when, at a peaceful protest outside an abortion clinic in Toronto, she was kicked by a male pro-abortion activist. The altercation, recorded on Bissonnette’s phone, went viral, amassing more than 6 million views. The incident resulted in the man getting arrested and fired from the hair salon he worked at. Fortunately, the attack was reported on by many mainstream news outlets and helped put a face to the increasingly radical pro-abortion movement.

The heartbreaking story of 23-month-old Alfie Evans captured the attention of pro-lifers around the world for more than four months as he battled for his life against Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool. People from around the world rallied for little Alfie and his parents as a judge refused to let them find suitable treatment for Alfie’s mysterious disease. Hundreds of supporters known as “Alfie’s Army” held vigils outside the hospital while countless more signed petitions online. Alfie was eventually taken off life support and succumbed to his illness 5 days later, but not before showing the world he wasn’t going down without a fight. God called Alfie home at 2:30am on April 28, 2018.

Good news: Israel’s abortion rate is half of what it was 30 years ago

December 27, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Since 1977, abortion has been legal in the State of Israel under a set of supposedly strict conditions, and each abortion must be approved by a ghoulishly-named “termination committee.” According to the guidelines, an abortion can be procured if the woman is younger than the legal marriage age (which is 18 at present), or older than age 40; if the baby is conceived through rape, incest, or outside of marriage; if the baby has a birth defect; or if the committee decides that the woman’s life or health is at risk.

Although these guidelines were intended to restrict abortion, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics noted that 99.3 percent of abortion requests were granted, with a miniscule 0.7 percent being rejected. Abortion on demand is technically illegal, but in practice these “termination committees” simply rubber stamp nearly every single abortion, regardless of the circumstances. As is so often the case, the category of “women’s health” is used as a loophole to ensure that abortion on demand is the reality even if it is not the rule. Women serving in the IDF get their abortions paid for by the Israeli government.

Despite this sad state of affairs, there has been good news recently. Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reported this year that the percentage of pregnancies ending in abortion has continued to fall, with the abortion rate declining to less than half of what it was thirty years ago. The number of requests for abortion procedures is declining as well, and the CBS has indicated that this is consistent with a now 30-year trend for the State of Israel.

In 1988, for example, 18.6 out of every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 49 requested an abortion—but in 2015, only 9.4 out of every 1,000 women in that same age category requested abortions, resulting in approximately 18,400 abortions being committed (of 18,510 requests.) The decline continued in 2016, with the abortion rate falling to 9 abortions per 1,000 women. Druze and Muslim women had the fewest number of abortions, with 6 per 1,000 women and 7.1 per 1,000 women respectively.

Jewish women had a higher rate, with 9.4 per 1,000 women requesting abortions, with statistics for Christian Arab women sitting at 9.8 per 1,000. Non-Arab Christian women had the highest rate of abortion—12.7 per 1,000—while women with no declared religion were at 11.3 per 1,000. By every available standard, from the percentage of pregnancies ending in abortion to the number of abortions requested, the abortion rate has been steadily dropping in Israel for 30 years.

While Orthodox Jews in Israel largely oppose abortion, left-wing political parties such as Meretz support abortion on demand, and attempts were made as recently as 2006 to get rid of the termination committees entirely and simply permit abortion as a noncontroversial surgical procedure. Fortunately, this attempt was soundly beaten by a large majority of other lawmakers, although a number of feminist groups in Israel are still pushing to have abortion recognized as a “reproductive right.”

The pro-life movement in Israel certainly deserves some credit for the decades-long decline of the abortion rate. Be’ad Chaim, a Christian pro-life group, offers counseling, education, post-abortive support groups, supplies for mothers in need, and sponsorship programs like “Project Moses,” which allows people to sponsor women for a full year after their babies are born to ensure that all of their needs are met. Efrat also provides women with both prenatal and postnatal help, as well as working to educate the public on the dangers of abortion. And Just One Life has provided crisis pregnancy services in Jerusalem for decades, and has seen 17,000 babies born as the result of their services.

Every abortion is a tragedy, and every life lost must be mourned. But it is certainly encouraging to consider the fact that the abortion rate in the State of Israel has been more than cut in half since the tragedy of abortion was begun 30 years ago.